Friday, December 12, 2008

Meet Andrea and her 2 beautiful children - Danny and Meaghan. Danny is currently a senior and star center for his high school basketball team and will be headed off for college next year. Meaghan is an active 8th grader who competes in cheer competitions.

Yesterday was quite a wet day for the Bay Area but the O'Connell's braved the elements and we headed to San Andreas Reservoir near their home in Millbrae for a portrait session.

Friday, December 5, 2008

I headed out to Chicago for the RSNA Conference held annually at the McCormick Place Convention Center. My flight out to Chicago was delayed nearly 2 hours and I ended up getting into my hotel really late.

All the local restaurants were closed and I was forced to order food from the hotel. This spicy bleu cheese burger actually wasn't bad.

Snow fell my first night there but it actually wasn't that cold yet.

Here was a little tribute to diMaggio's 56-game hitting streak on Taylor St

McCormick Place Convention Center

Downtown Chicago at sunset is just magnificent

Can't leave Chicago without a shot of Cloud Gate - a.k.a. "the bean" at Millennium Park

See the icicles? It was so sunny but only about 16 degrees on my last day!

The el train is the easiest and cheapest way to get around Chicago - on my way to Midway

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Thanksgiving this year was a double bonus as we got to celebrate with the Smith's on Thursday and with the Wen's on Friday! I've still got meat sweats from all that turkey, ham, and ribs. Thanks to both families for hosting two great nights. Here are some highlights from the festivities.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

On the tail end of our SoCal trip we stayed in San Diego to see my parents and some old friends. A few of us got together at Vinh & Liz's awesome new home to catch up and Nat made a new friend. Meet Isabella - Vinh & Liz's 2-year-old who so kindly shared her toys with Nat.

Monday, October 27, 2008

In the midst of a plethora of projects at work I certainly don't take time off for granted these days. Last week we headed down to Southern California to celebrate Martin & Yi's wedding in Pasadena and used the road trip for some R&R. I must say - the Yelp App on the iPhone really comes in handy when roaming the neighborhoods for good eats. We dedicated our free day between the rehearsal and the wedding day to shopping and snacking. We found a taqueria that sold fabulous $1.50 fish tacos, a politically-minded ice cream shop, and good ramen in posh West LA.

The wedding itself was awesome and my first time taking part in very traditional Chinese wedding customs. The day was filled with laughter, tears, and lots of love. Martin & Yi - congrats again and thanks for allowing us to celebrate your day with you!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Meet the Coutant Family - Michelle, Evelyn, Rachel, and Brian. I work with Michelle in the Radiology Department at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and was privileged to be asked to do a portait session with her beautiful children at Ardenwood Farms in Fremont, CA. They sure are a tall bunch! I could not have asked for more perfect weather on a Saturday afternoon.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Calvin, Monica, & Brian were in the Bay Area visiting family and we got the chance to have lunch in Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto - a couple pies at the Cheeseboard Collective and some good coffee at the original Peet's.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Martin & Yi knew where they wanted to have their Norcal engagement shots done. Our day started early at Blue Bottle Cafe for the best coffee in the Bay. We then blazed a trail through North Beach to the Palace of Fine Arts which was unfortunately closed for retrofit. Our day ended at Baker Beach for some awesome shots of the Golden Gate Bridge, crashing waves, and nude beach-goers (j/k).

I look forward to your wedding next month in Pasadena, CA. Congrats guys!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

After my awesome e-session with Martin & Yi, I had the opportunity to have lunch at Burma Superstar with Martin, Yi, and her brother Leon. The place was packed but we were able to get seated right away. Service was great and the food was even better. Would I go back? Yes sir.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

What's the best way to get a tan and gain 12 lbs in 5 days? Stay at Hotel Riu Santa Fe in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico! The food was clearly the best part of this trip but Cabo has so much more to offer - bargain shopping in Cabo San Jose, snorkeling in Chileno Bay, and of course roaming the aisles in the recently erected Walmart and Costco (the churros at Costco were really good btw). The locals are really friendly and I guess I should not have been surprised to see so many foreigners relocating here with the chill lifestyle.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

I haven't updated my blog in a while but finally had the chance to enjoy my weekend before work gets really busy again. It's hard to believe Nat's already 7 months old this week! Here's a quick slideshow of her recent photos.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Heather & James were married last Saturday at the Pulgas Water Temple in Woodside, CA - such an intimate setting tucked away off the I-280 freeway! It was an honor when my sister-in-law asked me to shoot her e-session and wedding. My wife Amy designed the invitations and programs - definitely a family affair.

A vintage Stutz limo whisked Heather & James away from the ceremony to San Mateo where we got some awesome shots at the Hotel Sofitel. We then headed back to Foster City for the reception at Turtle Bay Restaurant. The day was simply amazing because it started off with two great people that are meant for each other. I wish them all the best in their new life together.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

I had an opportunity to take a trip to Microsoft to see what new technologies they are working on and how they might be positioned to partner with my workplace in the design of our future hospital. Unfortunately I couldn't take pictures of all the prototypes but here are shots in and around Bellevue, WA.The rooms at the Westin in Bellevue were so nice.I thought these showerheads were so fancyYou'd think Starbucks in Seattle would be different - and by different I was hoping 'better'.